How much money do you have tied up in guns?

[TrapperReady]

More than I need.
Less than I want.

 

[Flyboy]

Three decades?

Try three generations. Dad gave me the collection last year; I have an '03 Springfield that was sold by the NRA for $10. (It's been sporterized, so it's not entirely a classic, but it makes a fine deer rifle.) JC Higgens .22LR, Browning Double Auto, and a few other things. I've never shot some of them; I just keep them oiled to prevent rust. One of these days, I'll go to the range.

My own purchases come in at under a grand: Dan Wesson Pointman Major (which I love, BTW). I've received two 870's as gifts (one 20-ga, one 12-ga), probably in the $200-$250 range each. That's the extent of things that are, and always have been, mine.

In the "recently acquired collection," add two more 870's, an 1100 (older one, and it's set up purdy, as opposed to practical); Kimber .22LR (model escapes my memory); Colt Combat Commander, worked over by Jim Clark (no, not "and Company," Jim himself); the usual collection of .22LRs; everybody has to have a revolver in each of .357 and .44; an Investarms Hawken in .50 (which, for a $100 gun, shoots as well as just about anything else I have); and a few other odds and ends.

If I had to guess on current value, based on the price for which I could sell things, I'd guess between five and ten thousand. If using price paid, probably nearer three.

My price? Priceless; these things have been in my family longer than I have. One used to be my dad's rifle when he was a kid. One of my 870's (12-ga, parkerized, synthetic stock, 28" bbl) was a Christmas gift from dad; he bought an identical gun for himself, and we used them when we went waterfowling together. They're just not for sale, at any price.

(Edited for spelling.)

 

[Monkeyleg]

I've owned many guns, but kept just a very few that are "never-sell's." So, I'm under the 10K figure. If you count all the accessories--safe(s), holsters, ammo, reloading stuff, magazines, etc--I'm sure it's over $12k.

There are a lot of guns I see that interest me, but I still haven't mastered the ones I have now. If I ever again get what was "disposable income," I'll be buying more, though. Got to keep the economy chugging along.

 

[kudu]

I'm in the 10-25,000 range in just guns. If all the reloading equipment and ammo, components, and accessories were added. Oh my God

 

[Archer]

It's a significant number, but more significant (to me) is that fact that I have spent half again as much on training.

Noteworthy is that I have had to use the training several times, but have never needed to use a gun due to the options provided by the training.

 

[Tamara]

It's a significant number, but more significant (to me) is that fact that I have spent half again as much on training.

Interestingly, I have never taken my 1874 Gras to Gunsite.

I have guns that are useful as tools, but they are a small part of my overall fascination with this hobby. If this makes me lose tacticality points, oh well...

 

[Splat Shot]

I met a guy a while back and have seen part of his collection. I would say he has about 1/4 million $$$ in guns & ammo. Quality stuff too, Barret 50BMGs, ARs & HKs, some horribly expensive sniper rifles & night vision stuff all the way down to a lowly Yugo SKS. I remember an old saying the goes something like "He who dies with the most toys wins". If so, this guy wins hands down.

 

[Myself]

I started to figure it out but stopped. If ignorance is bliss then I should be joyful as heck. I never seem to run out of things I would like to have.

 

[bigjim]

Heckler Koch P7M8 9mm
Heckler Koch P7M8 9mm
Heckler Koch P7M13 9mm
Springfield Armory TRP Operator 45 ACP
Springfield Armory Stainless Loaded 9mm
Springfield Armory WW2 Milspec 45 ACP
STI 1911 Wide Body long dust cover 40 SW
Les Baer Custom Carry 4 5 ACP
Valtro 1998A1 (Custom) 45 ACP
Shuey Custom 1911 hand built Titanium Carry 45 ACP
Colt Single Action Army 45 Long Colt
Colt Colt officers /Commander/custom 45acp
Colt 1991A1 NRM 45 ACP
Colt 1991A1 NRM 45 ACP
Colt 1991A1 NRM 45 ACP
Colt Series 70 Government 45 ACP
Smith and Wesson 625-2 45 ACP
Rock Island Armory/Ciener Custom 22 LR 22/LR
Beretta Tomcat 32 ACP
Walther P22 22 LR
Browning Practical Hi-power 9mm
Kimber Classic(series 1) 45 ACP
Kimber Eclipse(custom shop edition) 45 ACP
Lone Wolf Harsey Tactical Folder N/A
Tops Knives Med Fixed Blade, Newck Knife, Folder N/A
Springfield Armory M1A 308 / 7.62 NATO
Springfield Armory M1 Garand 30-06
Springfield Armory M1 Garand 30-06
Springfield Armory M1 Garand 30-06
Heckler Koch 121 m1 12 gauge
Anshutz Youth Model 22 LR
Ruger 10/22 w Scope 22 LR
Underwood M1 Carbine 30 Carbine
Gustaf swedish mauser m96 6.5 x55
Remington 1903 A3 30-06
Springfield 1903 30-06
Reloading Equipment 650/SQD/Rockchucker
Mags 1911 Officers 60 ea
Mags 1911 20 ea
Mags 1911 wide body 10 ea STI 140 mm tubes
Mags 1911 9mm 25 ea
Mags HK P7M8 10 ea .
Mags HK P7M13 10 ea
Mags Browning Hp 20 ea
Mags Beretta Tomcat 5 ea
Mags Ciener 5 ea
Light M3 Tactical

Guns Knives Mags and reloading stuff Approx 45 thousand

 

[jeff-10]

I am in the 2k-5k range I guess. I wonder if those 3 guys who picked the >100k range are just messing with us or what.

 

[DragonRider]

Since 12/05/02

19,056 dollars in firearms
approx 1250 dollars in shotshells
approx 1800 dollars in 5.56
approx 3000 dollars in 22/9mm/40/357/45/
approx 5000 in scopes/lights/cleaning/etc
3260 dollars of trainning classes and CCW stuff
33366.00 total

Priceless amounts of fun.

Haven't added it up in awhile...... scared to think how much I would have spent if I had started earlier........

John

edited to add mags in the numbers.......

 

[keyhole]

Lotsa guns, and not as much ammo. But hey, they're for shooting right? If ya have more in ammo than guns, ya need to be spendin more time at the range, right?

 

[TechBrute]

I wonder if those 3 guys who picked the >100k range are just messing with us or what.

Maybe, but there are plenty of wealthy people in the world. Ok, so you live in a $100K house and have $5K in guns. That's 5%. What about people that live in $5M houses? 5% is $250K. You think that out of the 13,699 members (as of this post), that none live in multi-million dollar houses and have 6-figure gun collections? I won't say my exact $$ in guns, but it's about 20% of the house that I just built. 20% of a $5M house comes out to $1,000,000 in guns.

 

[Highpower1]

I just pushed over the 25k mark last month when I picked up a couple of new AR's. Please no one tell my wife,

 

[ckyllo]

my head hurts from trying to add them up.
as for the >$100k, I remember watching a show on the history channel I think it was a "tales of the gun" that had a show called million dollar guns. most of the guns showen where in private collections, and they showed alot of guns that where from $750k to $mill plus. the owners of the guns of course never shot the collector guns ( some did shoot the collector peice though) but nearly all of them where avid shooters. I do think you would need to be an extreme gun nut to own a million dollar gun that you coudnt shoot.
would not want to think of the total amount spent if I added the guns, safes, mags, range fees, targets and money spent on ammo over the years. all I will say is OUCH!

 

[Phil Ca]

More than I should and less than I would wish!

 

[ALS]

Once I discovered the joys of owning a machine gun... the credit cards have never been the same.

-LeadPumper

That is pretty much the excuse I use to keep from buying my first Class III.
Every year the argument seems not as strong as the year before. It really isn't the initial cost as what it is going to cost me to feed it.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

5%...

Ok, so you live in a $100K house and have $5K in guns. That's 5%.

Guess you just gotta set your priorities. The value of my collection currently exceeds that of my 4-bedroom, 2-bath, 2-car garage house.

I'm just glad there isn't an annual tax on the gun collection like that on property value.

 

[Thumper]

Nice bell curve.

 

[duckslayer]

OK, now is a good time to adopt a little socialism...you guys that have 100k+ in guns, need to send some to me to even things out

 

[Monkeyleg]

Instead of socialism, let's try capitalism. Those of you with $$$$$'s of guns tell those of us with $$'s of guns how to get the extra $$$.

 

[JohnBT]

You gotta plan ahead. And live long enough to spend the money you save.

I bought my home in 1980 for $41k. The mortgage payment took 75 cents less than half of my monthly takehome. I got my ex-girlfriend to sign off on the mortgage application in order to qualify - she knew I'd make the payments and figured as a starving artist on the west coast she could use the credit reference.

The house was built in 1916 and had been mistreated for at least 10 years. For the last 2 years of the 10 the heat had been off. Of course, with 14-inch brick walls, slate roof and heart pine floors not much real damage was done by the neglect. Now it's assessed at $207k and I haven't had a house payment for years. Of course, it's only 1350 sq. ft. not counting the basement or the three porches and the lot is only 25.5' x 90', but location means a lot, the neighbors at great and I live around the corner from work. If I'd break down and invest in central air and some other things I'd be paying our silly real estate taxes on $270k or so. Nope, I like high ceilings, fans and lazy summer days.

I drove a 4wd '86 Subaru wagon for 14 years until the all of the beach driving rusted it out and then I bought a fancy Forester with a sunroof - both for cash. Could I have afforded a more expensive car? Sure, but I don't make that much after 30 years as a low-level state employee with an M.S. in counseling.

I have one credit card that I'll use if I have to, but I was raised on cash. (I've always liked the suggestion to put your one credit card in a bowl of water in the freezer, but I've never done it. It would prevent impulse purchases though, wouldn't it?)

I often wonder what I've have if I'd skipped the vacations and limited my social life a tad. I guess I'll never know.

I am looking for somebody to teach me how to play poker. It's either that or I'm going to have to get off the www and get a part-time job.

John

 

[Smoke]

I have a Excel Spread sheet where I log in all my guns. IT contains, to the penny, the amount I paid for each one. It also has a rough estimate of what I could sell it for.

I have also listed out the add on's, accessories, gear, etc for each one....but haven't done the costs (with the exception of optics)

I do not know; nor do I want to know, how much I have spent on the related gun items. Reloaders, ammo, leather, .......

Smoke

 

[Zach S]

I'm at ~$5900 in guns alone.

 

[craig]

as of right now, the wife and i have $6350.00 in guns alone. only been at it for a year and a half. i'd like to see everybody's answers a year from now.